Heart Health Women's Heart Health

Getting to the Heart of the Matter: Women and Heart Disease

Heart disease is the number one cause of death among women in the United States, killing approximately 500,000 women every year. But women and their doctors continue to underestimate women's heart disease risk. As a result, women are less likely than men to receive aggressive treatment and are more likely die of heart disease.

To heighten awareness of this women's health issue, a coalition of organizations, such as the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the American Heart Association, has made February 4 "National Wear Red Day." Everyone is encouraged to wear red to heighten awareness of women with heart disease.

Below, Sharonne Hayes, MD, director of the Mayo Clinic Women's Heart Clinic and chair of scientific advisory board for WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease, discusses heart disease and encourages women to play a larger role in their own heart health.

What are the most common types of heart disease?
Eight million U.S. women are currently living with heart disease. Cardiovascular disease, or heart disease, includes many conditions, but the most common type is coronary artery disease, which is also the most preventable. Coronary artery disease involves blockages in the arteries caused by plaque buildup. If this plaque progresses or ruptures, heart attack or sudden death can result.

Hypertension, which is under the umbrella of cardiovascular diseases, can have many serious effects on the heart, the blood vessels and the kidneys and, if untreated, is a major cause of stroke. It occurs when the blood pressure is greater than 140/90 mm Hg. Other types of heart disease include diseases of the heart rhythm, which can cause either a very slow heart rate or a fast heart rate. One could also be born with an abnormal heart, a condition called congenital heart disease. And heart failure occurs when the heart can't pump properly because it has been damaged or weakened, or because of high blood pressure or hypertension.

How many women die of heart disease each year?
More than half a million women die of cardiovascular diseases each year, and more women die of cardiovascular disease than the next 10 causes combined. To put it in perspective, there are about 60,000 deaths from breast cancer annually, compared to 500,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease. Still, for many women, cardiovascular disease is basically an under-recognized and silent disease.

Every year since 1984, more women than men have died of heart attacks and cardiovascular disease, which is a very surprising statistic to many people. Women are also more likely than men to die from a heart attack, and to die after a procedure in which the artery is opened, such as a stent or a balloon angioplasty. And women are more likely than men to have another heart attack within five years.

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